Does the Prius use any gas when you are sitting at a drive-thru or at a stop light? I was told that the Prius does not use any gas when sitting still -- which is one of the reasons why I bought it -- but I want to hear the technical aspects from the experts. Thank you
The technical aspect is relatively simple: the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) stops running. There can be exceptions, like anything. But the majority of the time, the ICE will not be running when you are standing still. All of the Prius' functions will be handled by the hybrid battery (radio, movement, A/C, headlights, etc).
Some additional thought: To meet emissions laws, the ICE runs long enough to warm up, so when first started, the Prius does idle on gas. Also if you are running the heater, most comes from running the gas engine. Even when warm, all power eventually come from the gas engine, so when you are running on battery, that will be recharge later by the ICE. But it does get GREAT gas mileage!
The prius is the best car to go through drive in's as its so easy to collapse the outside rear virew mirror. Drive ins...garage parking...toll booth. Anything that will catch that mirror. I do it automatically now. Open the window..pull the mirror in. Push it out as I roll away. Haven't nicked it yet. Great design.
It'll also not use any gas while running in certain conditions, so it's not just when the car is stopped.
In the same order of idea... Someone mentioned Drive in.. Let say i want to go to the drive in cinema (outside with a big screen and movie audio thru shortwave FM radio). If i put the parking brakes, does it cut all exterior lighting and will be able to watch the movie with AC or fan to keep me cool with the ICE off?
If you put it in park, with the AC on, the AC runs off the HV battery, so the engine will be off, except when the HV battery State Of Charge dictates it needs charging, then the engine will start, to charge the battery. You must remember, ALL energy in the Prius is derrived from Gasoline.
I'd say this is the biggest luxury feature of the prius. Engine off, unless you need to be on. Just the ac, no engine at stop lights. It's nice to slip into ev during traffic jams too. The engine fires up if you can go fast, or the battery starts running low.
Keep in mind: the battery doesn't last forever. After 10 minutes or so, you'll notice the battery levels dropping.
Can the heating also run on battery with the engine off? I live in Canada so the heating is way more important to me than the AC, and it drives me nuts when I see people sitting there with the engine idling to keep the car warm.
no, all heating comes from the engine. if/when you use heat in cool/cold weather you will notice a reduction in mpg.
To summarize, if you want cabin heat the car must be in "Ready". If you want A/C cooling the car can be in IG-ON but the engine will not start and the large traction battery will be quickly drained. The battery-safe way to use the A/C or any accessories for more than a couple of minutes is to leave the car ON ("Ready") and in "Park" (*not* Neutral). Then it will start the engine as needed to keep the batteries properly charged. You can do this until it runs out of gas.
In the long run, even they come from the ICE. Coasting or braking each use up kinetic and/or potential energy stored in the momentum and elevation of the vehicle and created by the ICE. This is true even when running downhill, since what goes down must, eventually, go up. The efficiency of the Prius doesn't come from getting something for nothing; it comes from wasting less of the energy that the ICE generates.
You know I read somewhere that my car has collapsible side mirrors but I couldn't do it. Then I forgot about it. Now I read your post, thought maybe I only tried the passenger door so went out and tried the driver door mirror and still nothing. Oh! Maybe the power needs to be on? I'll go try that. Nope. It's funny that my car has so many things I don't know it has... my last vehicle had NOTHING and I knew I wanted the Prius so it didn't matter to me what the amenities were, once I was ready to buy I went in and bought with a test drive that was a mere formality.
